


It's Only Forever

by 7_wonders



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Labyrinth Fusion, F/M, This is just a lot of fun, and something I've been working on for a while now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29668536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7_wonders/pseuds/7_wonders
Summary: A night of babysitting goes horribly wrong when the Underworld’s ruler “mishears” your words and whisks your charge away. Given thirteen hours, you must navigate a labyrinth full of challenges if you have any hope of rescuing her. But what if this is all part of a bigger plan, one that you have no control over?
Relationships: Michael Langdon & Reader, Michael Langdon & You, Michael Langdon/Reader, Michael Langdon/You
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	It's Only Forever

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited to finally be releasing the first chapter of this Labyrinth AU! I've been working on this idea for almost two years now, and I finally got around to writing it. Let me know if you enjoy, and, as always, kudos and comments make my world go round :)

Jobs, when one is a young adult trying to make ends meet, are pretty hit or miss. Sometimes, you get stuck waiting tables or doing menial secretary work, both of which are mind numbing, soul sucking jobs that you’ve had in the past. Other times, you get lucky. You manage to find a job that fits one of your niches, and you’re happy getting paid just barely above minimum wage, because at least the environment is enjoyable.

That’s how you feel about your current job at the small indie bookstore in the center of town. You’ve never had a job where you’re actually okay with working an eight hour shift, but there’s always a first for everything. The customers are usually quite nice, there’s not a lot of cleaning that needs to be done (besides dusting), and your boss is laid back. Plus, you get to spend your work day surrounded by books.

Books have always been something of a safe haven for you. While you enjoyed running around and playing with other kids as a child, there was something about being able to open a book and disappear into a whole different world. Every trouble in your life, every worry or fear, would disappear when you began to read. While some people had security blankets, your comfort item of choice was whatever well-worn novel you were choosing to re-read yet again. Books, for you, were the ultimate comfort, which is why landing a job at a bookstore felt like coming home after a long journey.

Of course, reality kicked the door down every two weeks when the direct deposit hit your bank account and you saw that you only really had enough to cover your necessities. While that was perfectly acceptable, it’s always nice to have extra pocket money (sometimes, all a person wants is to walk around Target and let the store speak instead of their wallet). Since babysitting is the true original side hustle, and you enjoy kids, it makes sense that you look down that alley for some extra cash. Luckily for you, the Walkers, who came into the bookstore often, were looking for somebody to babysit their daughter. Who better than the responsible student that was always available to help with book recommendations?

Julia Walker, a spunky three year old with a personality to match her perpetually-untamed hair, is a babysitter’s dream child. She almost always listens to directions, loves playing games, and rarely throws tantrums. Every Tuesday and Thursday,  you pick her up from daycare, bring her to her parents’ house, feed her dinner and play with her until around 6:00 when her mother comes home. By then, you’re usually well into story time with Julia, enrapturing her with one of the many tales you’ve memorized by heart. After all, what good was a bookseller (as your boss insisted upon calling all of her retail employees) if they weren’t able to tell a good story?

And oh, did you have some good stories brewing within your imagination. For weeks now, probably even months, the strangest, most vivid dreams have captured your attention long after you’ve woken up and gotten on with your day. The memories of these dreams are fuzzy around the edges, but there’s always a few common threads that come through no matter how much of your dreams you can remember. 

Walking through an endless maze, desperately trying to find someone or something. 

A series of increasingly-difficult challenges, all the while you’re taunted by some otherworldly entity. 

Demons and goblins trying to hinder your journey through the labyrinth that sits nestled in the Underworld, traps and changing paths and the deliberately vague way that everybody speaks in an attempt to confuse those brave enough to venture through the labyrinth.

Always, no matter what, you dream of  _ him _ . The man whose face you never fully see, but whose eyes, bright blue and mischievous, both captivate and infuriate you. Your dreams have crowned him the ruler of the Underworld, a man whom his subjects refer to as the Labyrinth King. Every night, he lures you down to his domain, promising the return of something you hold dear in exchange for finishing his labyrinth. He’s seductively dangerous, and you want nothing more than to see his face.

So what if this is just your subconscious longing for some sort of adventure or a romantic relationship? It’s not your fault that you’re so closed off to the idea of love  ~~ even if it is kind of your fault ~~ . You’re strong, independent, and you don’t need to depend on anybody. Really, you’re perfectly happy with that. Stories, at least, couldn’t hurt you in real life. You never had to worry about being abandoned or deceived, hurt or ridiculed. You’re more than fine with sacrificing cuddles or hand holds for peace of mind.

Tonight’s a Friday, which means you wouldn’t normally be babysitting. The Walkers, wanting to go on a date, had asked if you would look after Julia for the evening. You couldn’t say no, especially knowing that you would just be sitting alone in your apartment tonight anyways. So here you are, stuck on babysitting duty all night. Not that you really mind. Now that you’ve gotten Julia bathed and ready for bed, you’re sitting with her on her bedroom floor and regaling her with the story that you’ve long been concocting.

“The young girl cursed her parents for yet again leaving her to watch her baby brother, sick of being treated like Cinderella. She stared in anger as he screamed from his crib, his wails getting louder and louder with each passing second. ‘Someone save me!’ she cried. ‘Take me away from this awful place.’”

Outside the walls of the house, the wind blows as rain patters against the windows. Even further away, in a different realm completely, demonic creatures begin to stir. This is the moment that they’ve waited for, what their lord has been meticulously planning for months now. They listen with bated breath, just as the young child being told the story is doing.

“Even the story that she told her brother didn’t get him to stop crying. The girl was sure she was going to go crazy if she listened to him scream for another second. ‘Be quiet, will you?’ she said. ‘I’ll...I’ll say the words if you don’t.’”

“Words?” Julia whispers with bated breath.

“Yes! She lifted her brother up out of his crib,” you lift Julia up for extra dramatic effect, smiling as she giggles, “stared at his flushed, screaming face, and called out ‘oh Labyrinth king, I wish you would take this child from me  _ right now _ !’”

You and Julia both stare at each other for a moment, as if waiting for something to happen (as the knot in the pit of your stomach is telling you that it will), before you make a roar-like sound and lay her on the ground to tickle her. Unbeknownst to you, chaos has erupted in the far-off realm. The creatures that had been waiting for this moment spring to life, hooting and hollering as they bumble over one another before vanishing without a sound. 

Outside, lightning begins to flash and thunder claps from up above, the lights beginning to flicker ominously. With a boom shaking the house, the power suddenly goes out. Julia lets out a yell of surprise before bursting into tears, the sudden darkness not appealing to her.

“It’s okay,” you reassure her, even though you’re not feeling that assured yourself, “it’s just a storm, it’ll pass.”

You go to grab your phone so that you can turn the flashlight on before remembering you left it on the bookshelf across the room.

“I have to grab my phone so we can use it as a flashlight. I’m just walking across the room, think you can stay here and be brave for me?” 

You only move when she makes a sound of approval, keeping an ear out for her little sniffles as she tries to be brave. Arms held out in front of you to act as a buffer, you walk cautiously through the room. When you finally stumble into the bookshelf, you swipe your hands across the top until you hit what you’ve been looking for. Grabbing it and whirling around, you suddenly realize that you can’t hear Julia anymore. The room feels too still, like when the eye of a hurricane passes right over you. Frantically, you find the flashlight toggle on your phone and turn it on, only to have your heart drop.

The window in Julia’s bedroom is wide open, curtains billowing inward and rain pelting against the floor. Moonlight and your flashlight cast light on the now-empty spot on the floor where the toddler once was. Knowing that she wouldn’t run off when you’re only steps away, you begin to call her name in fear. Your head whips around as you look in any possible crevice or cranny, so focused on finding your missing charge that you don’t notice a being has appeared in front of the window until you hear a laugh that can only be described as musical.

Breath is immediately stolen from your lungs when you look towards the source of the laugh. Arguably the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen stands silhouetted against the window. His long, golden hair flows over shoulders that are draped in a cloak as dark as night and decorated with just as many stars. A cream-colored shirt, open at the front and with loose-sleeved cuffs, reveal a pair of red leather gloves upon his hands. What most captures your attention, though, is his eyes. Highlighted with a red color in the corners, they’re the exact same mischievous blue eyes that have been haunting your dreams for months.

Another crack of thunder reminds you that the attractive stranger in front of you is just that; a stranger. Swallowing down the confusing mixture of fear and desire, you square your shoulders and look him in the eye.

“Who are you?”

His full lips curl into a smirk and he steps forward, glitter following like a shadow.

“My dear,” he croons with a melodic voice,” “I’m what you’ve wished for.”

“I...that doesn’t answer my question,” you say dumbly.

He laughs again, but this time it sounds kinder. “Don’t you know? You were just telling quite the story about me.”

You scoff, which apparently is not what he was expecting, if the look of disdain on his face is anything to go by. “You’re telling me that you’re him? The Labyrinth King?”

He bows. “Michael.”

“Okay...Michael…” It’s obvious that she’s dealing with some kind of lunatic, and she doesn’t want to anger him lest he decide to actually take Julia. “What are you doing here?”

“Why, I’ve saved you, of course. You wished to be freed from your charge, (Y/N), and I answered.”

You don’t ask him how he knows your name. “Well, you were obviously listening to the story, and you also would know that I was simply telling a story. Which means that you can give Julia back now.”

“What’s said is said.”

“You can’t do that! It’s kidnapping!” You hadn’t realized it previously, but as your hands ball into fists, you know that you would fight this man to the death if it meant saving Julia.

“What is happening now defies what the mortal mind is able to comprehend,” Michael says with concern, as if she’s a child not sure why they can’t eat dessert before supper. “Go back home, read your stories, and enjoy your life.”

“No.”

You size up your adversary, who seems to be doing the same. A staring contest is waged, neither side willing to so much as move a muscle. That is, until the standoff is abruptly ended.

Michael raises his arm, making an unfamiliar gesture with his hand. Suddenly, a glowing crystal appeared in the palm of his hand, but it wasn’t really in his hand. Rather, it was levitating above his hand, just by a matter of an inch or two. Your mouth goes dry as it dawns on you that this may actually be happening.

“I’ve brought you a gift, (Y/N).” He holds the crystal out to you, and you allow a moment to lose yourself within the splendor of it.

“I don’t want it.” Some primal part of you knows that he is absolutely not to be trusted.

“Not even if I told you it would give you your wildest dreams?”

You close your eyes and take a deep breath to resist the urge to grab the crystal globe. “No. What I want is for you to give Julia back.”

“You cannot simply  _ have  _ the child back. That is not how the rules of my realm work.” He waves his hand once more, and the crystal disappears. Finally, it feels like you can breathe again.

“Then how do your rules work?”

“You must win the child back.”

“I...seriously? How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

“Am I not the Labyrinth King? You must run my labyrinth, of course.”

He twirls a finger, gesturing for you to look out the window. Instead of the dark night sky, you see a castle on a hill, albeit distant. Very,  _ very _ distant. The Walker house sits on an opposite hill. In the valley separating the two hills, there’s nothing but fog. Every so often, you think you can see the top of a wall, or hear the bellow of an unknown creature.

“Still up to running my labyrinth?” Michael murmurs in your ear.

“Yes.”

Michael doesn’t answer, and you turn around to confront him. He’s in the same spot as before, watching you silently, but the familiar surroundings of Julia’s bedroom are no longer around. Instead, you’re now facing him on the hill that the house was just standing on. 

Wind whips your hair around, yet Michael’s remains still. Looking down at the sandy dirt, you turn around again and take a step forward in determination.

“Turn back, (Y/N), before it’s too late,” he says from behind you.

“No. I’m getting Julia back, do you hear me?”

“Very well, then.” Michael’s right next to you now, and you glance at him when an antique clock appears out of thin air. Curiously, there’s 13 numbers on the face instead of the usual 12. “You have thirteen hours to run the labyrinth and find your charge. I warn you, though, that time is shorter here than it is in your realm.”

“Thirteen hours it is,” you mutter to yourself. “Where does this labyrinth of yours start?” 

Michael doesn’t answer, and you look over to see that he’s completely disappeared.

“Fine then, I’ll find it myself.”

You take a cautious step forwards down the hillside and towards the valley. Without warning, the sand begins to slide under your feet, and with a tumble and a scream, you fall.


End file.
